8 Defendants Indicted for Human Smuggling and Drug Conspiracy in a Federal Court in Louisiana

Defendants Charged With Smuggling 24 Hondurans Into Louisiana; One Defendant Arrested for Conspiring to Possess With Intent to Distribute 24 Kilograms of Cocaine Seized From the Boat Carrying Undocumented Hondurans

Louisiana – In an indictment unsealed today in the Eastern District of Louisiana, eight people were charged with participating in an international scheme to smuggle 24 undocumented individuals from Honduras into Louisiana aboard the Motor Vessel (M/V) “Pop,” which is owned by one of the defendants. One of the defendants was also arrested for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 24 kilograms of cocaine seized on this boat which the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, in February 2022.

Carl Allison, aka Car, 46, of Irwin, Pennsylvania, and Lindomar De La Rosa, aka Omar, aka Dr. Diablo, 37, of Atlanta, were arrested on May 10, 2022. Co-defendants Josue Alexander Flores-Villeda, 35, Darrel Martinez, 40, and Lenard Cooper, 39, are in custody on separate warrants. Co-defendants Rudy Jackson Hernandez, 35, and Hennessey Devon Cooper, 26, remain on bond. The final defendant, Lance Vroon, 39, remains at large.

The eight individuals were charged with conspiring to bring aliens to the United States and to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain; and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Josue Alexander Flores-Villeda, aka Alex, 35, of Honduras, is additionally charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride.

According to the indictment, Allison, De La Rosa, and the other defendants attempted to bring 24 undocumented Hondurans to the United States aboard Allison’s M/V “Pop” from December 2021 to February 14, 2022. On February 15, the Coast Guard apprehended the M/V Pop off the coast of Grand Isle. On board the ship, 24 kilograms of cocaine were seized from the captain’s cabin.

Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of ten years in prison if convicted of the human smuggling offenses. Villeda faces up to life in prison if convicted of the drug conspiracy charge.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, United States Attorney Duane A. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge David Denton of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office.

HSI Houma is leading the investigation, with assistance from HSI Pittsburgh, HSI Atlanta, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Officers, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntingdon Township Police, and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office all assisted with the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Howard Sinkman and Carter Guice for the Eastern District of Louisiana, as well as Trial Attorney Rami S. Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

The investigation is being coordinated and supported by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the Department of Justice’s investigative and prosecutorial resources in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and El Salvador. JTFA is made up of federal prosecutors from border U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Criminal Division, and the Civil Rights Division, as well as HSI and CBP law enforcement agents and analysts. The task force also includes the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as other interagency partners.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.